'When they get out of nappies we'll be rich': Mum explains the 'twin tax'

"I never expected things to escalate like they have - but this is how we cope."

If your twins are your first, you immediately need to buy two of everything: two cots, two car seats, two bouncers…and more of everything—more nappies, more bottles, more wipes, more clothes, more toys.

It is expensive... and I'm finding it even harder now that my twins are older, and things are tougher in terms of cost-of-living.

This is how I've had to adjust - and it could help you even if you have one kid.

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Karen's twins. Image: Supplied

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The delusional train of thought

I always thought that when we got to the mythical ‘next phase’, our spending would calm down.

I vividly remember these exciting conversations at our twin club baby group: “When they get out of nappies, we’ll be rich!” “When they leave daycare and start school, we’ll have so much money to spare!”

But I’ve quickly begun to realise that as my twin boys grow, the costs associated with raising them only increase.

Here are some of the cost challenges we face and how we cope with them:

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Growth spurts

Firstly, teenage boys grow. Constantly. This involves keeping the fridge stocked as they never stop eating. It also means we need to buy them new clothes and school uniform ALL THE TIME. The bigger they get, the more expensive clothes and shoes get, too. 

In an effort to keep the cost of food shopping down, I do careful meal planning and I try my best to do a big shop every fortnight rather than popping into the supermarket all the time. I also shop online as I find I can manage my budget better that way. 

For clothes, op shops, Facebook Marketplace and the second-hand school uniform shop are my saviour. Often things are being sold ‘as new’ as they’ve barely been worn before the kids outgrew the item.

I can snag a $190 school blazer for $90, and when you need two of them, that makes a massive difference. It does mean planning ahead – right now, I’m shopping for next year’s school uniform but at least I won’t have to stress about it over the summer holidays.

I hate the idea of spending full price on something that will barely get worn. When you buy second-hand and sell it on later you generally don’t lose too much on it as well. 

Expensive interests

Our boys have expensive interests. One of them is an avid electric guitar player; the other is an online gamer.

Both involve expensive equipment. When one gets an expensive gift, the other does too, to keep things fair.

The boys need laptops for school next year, so that is going to really hit our wallet to buy two at once.

For gifts, I keep a spreadsheet to track how much we spend on each child so they all end up with a similar amount spent on them.

As we have three kids, we begin shopping early to spread the cost as much as possible. We often buy big items second-hand – you can pick up amazing quality bikes and PCs on Marketplace if you know what you’re looking for.

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Driving lessons and cars

This is the biggie coming up for us in the next 18 months. There will be the cost challenge of paying for two lots of driving lessons at once and buying the cars, not to mention the issue of WHERE to park all of the cars! Eventually, when their little sister has also learnt to drive, we’ll end up with five cars between us.  

We’ve already begun planning the development of our outdoor space to add some additional parking areas. Laying concrete slabs is expensive, so we’re doing it in stages.

At least it is adding value to our home in the long term, so I see it as an investment rather than a cost-suck. We are very lucky to have the space though – when we bought our home nine years ago, having space for five cars wasn’t on our radar!  

When it comes to paying for driving lessons and buying cars, we’ll put some money towards these, but our boys will need to save and contribute. Paying for two at once would be beyond our budget, but more importantly, I think they’ll value these things much more if they contribute by working and saving.

It will give them a sense of achievement. They already put half of their weekly pocket money into their savings account which will go towards their car, and they’re just beginning to start looking for part-time jobs. I’m still in denial that in just over a year they’ll be old enough to get their learner licence! How did that happen?!  

Cost pressures for parents of multiples

Raising twins is more expensive than raising one child at a time as your costs come along two at a time. The cost pressures don’t ease as they get older; they just seem to expand.  

As parents of twins, I feel like we’re a creative bunch with exceptional problem-solving abilities. We have to figure out how to pick up two babies at the same time. How to feed two babies at once.

How to get out and about with two babies. How to deal with double tantrums, double tummy bugs and double the teething. 

If anyone can navigate the challenge of raising twins during a cost-of-living crisis, it’s us!

By planning ahead, being resourceful and teaching our kids about the value of money, we can come through each of these phases stronger and enjoy the incredible journey of raising our family. 

Maybe one day, that next mythical phase where we finally feel rich will actually arrive, and I’m sure when it does, we’ll look back on these challenging times and wish we could go back and do it all again. 

Originally published as 'When they get out of nappies we'll be rich': Mum explains the 'twin tax'